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Mar

2012

Is the future of work an aristocratic democracy?: Leo Strauss on Managment | Thoughts on management

"Are the future of work and the future of management inherently democratic? Will we have democracy or rather an enlightened aristocracy? The point is not theoretical or philosophical for its own sake. The question has a deep resonance in how organisations structure themselves, how workers understand themselves, but most importantly, how workers engage with the organisation."

thoughtmanagement.wordpress.com/...cracy-leo-strauss-on-managment

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organization management adhocracy democracy decisionmaking talents aristocracy authority oligarchy trust

In one sense, a truly democratic organisation is a recipe for a disaster. Studies have shown that the more people involved in a decision, the worse it becomes.
Thus, decisions may be made by a few, but scrutinized and ratified by the many. In that sense, one can say that organisations can be democratic.
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- Unlike Enron, most organisations are run closer to an oligarchy where the senior management benefits and passes down the privilege and the patronage to make the system work, within their fiefdoms. What social media allows, and the web 2.0, is that the oligarchy can be challenged
- The question is now whether a meritorious aristocracy, democracy properly understood (see below) with a representational system can replace the oligarchy
- The following is an example of what a pure democracy may look like in an organisation. The DWP developed a “game” or an “internal market” for deciding on how to allocate resources to “good” or “innovative” ideas that would save money. The people who proposed ideas would have their idea voted on and supported by others within the organisatio
- First, the senior managers have to trust their staff. How many organisations are like Capgemini and allow internal microblogging to allow staff to communicate with immediate constraints? For most managers, this would be a frightening experience as staff, perhaps with more ideas and talent, could quickly emerge.
- Second, the approach assumes that the workers are ready to produce new ideas and new ways of thinking. To be sure, there may be ideas within the staff, but if the culture has been deeply embedded and staff are not encouraged to raise ideas or “challenge” then no amount of technological change is going to change that culture
- I am not suggesting that grown people are destined to act and to be treated as children. Instead, I am trying to suggest that change is not simply going to come about because someone suggests or even models a “democratic” workplace. Instead, the change has to come from senior managers encouraging staff to “challenge” and staff being ready to “challenge
- An aristocracy of talent seems to be emerging. In this approach, organisations are designed to support specific talents.
- “Democracy in a word is meant to be an aristocracy which has broadened into a universal aristocracy.” As such, are we seeing the emergence of an organisation that can nurture the aristocracy of talent? It may be that the organisation “disappears” as an agent and is there to support talent.
- Yet, the new organisation will work a faster pace and with less respect for authority and more respect for demonstrable success and talent.
- A democratic organisation can deal with bad news, a tyrannical organisation cannot. As a result, the communications problems get worse because no one wants to be the bearer of badness. At the same time, more rogue employees emerge because no one is willing to control those doing what is wrong. Why? They fear to communicate that bad news upward especially if the “rogue” appears to be succeeding.

Jul

2009

Why Your Employees Act Like Employees

People follow their leader's example. Have you looked in the mirror lately? Do you use a respectful tone when interacting with your employees and customers? Does your summer wardrobe look more like cruise wear than business attire? Take a close look at yourself, before passing judgment on others.

www.fastcompany.com/...y-your-employees-act-employees

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humanresources employees engagement behaviors management authority empowerment